Perspective can be defined as a mental view or outlook of something. It’s a way of thinking that gives each of us an opinion. I find it funny that perspective is October’s word because over the past couple months, I’ve been reading, thinking and observing a lot about this particular topic and human behaviour.
I’ve noticed that people often hold a point of view that makes them feel better about their current circumstance, while also criticizing (subtly and unsubtly) other people’s circumstance that differ or do not serve them. In doing so, this makes them feel better about themselves, while also giving their perception a falsified affirmation, allowing them to ignorantly believe that what they are telling themselves is truth. But what is truth? And can anyone claim that they know it?
Since 2011, I’ve travelled to 4 different continents and visited 12 different countries and in a lot of these places (some more than others) there seems be a commonality of biased opinions that one way is the “best” way. For example, someone from Spain might say that they live in the best country, have the best lifestyle, have the most fun, have the best friends, and eat the best food and so on. However, someone from Switzerland, France, Germany, England, Scotland, Panama, Canada, America etc…have those exact same perceptions and will often say those very same things. On top of that, it gets even more specific within countries, down to the cities, the suburbs, the schools, the fashion and the weather. There’s an undeniable rivalry between what is the “best” way to live, a competition with one winner. This is where perspective comes in.
While travelling the world experiencing new cultures, you learn very early on that you have a choice. Essentially, you can choose to be 1 of 2 people. You can be that person who is open, excited, and curious about visiting unfamiliar places and foreign countries. As this person you understand that there is no “best” way and you do not place any bias opinions to things that differ from what you already know. As a result, your level of enjoyment exceeds any expectation because you feel alive and you are present with a positive state of consciousness. On the contrary, you can choose to be the person that is closed off, possessed by a voice in your head that distorts all perceptions and experiences with judgments. While your body may have travelled somewhere else, you personally haven’t, which consequently creates negative and unsatisfactory experiences. Imagine being free of negative thoughts and judgments? Thoughts and judgments that may give you a temporary comfort, but ultimately lead to the demise of your own happiness.
Just to clarify, I do think it is important to have your own opinion. In fact, I state my opinion in the majority of my blogs. What I’m emphasizing, is being open to other opinions as well. One must be mindful that you are not disregarding other perspectives, namely calling something “good” or “bad” without understanding why you even think that. Thinking one thing is better than something else already limits us, while being open without judgment liberates us. This isn’t always an easy task and often these patterns are hard to break-for myself as well. Thankfully we have a choice, but only you and your consciousness can make that choice. As philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once said, “life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.”Just some food for thought… Thanks for reading!! Stay tuned for my Nov/Dec blog.
